What is the smartest thing you've ever done, and how has it impacted your financial future? On International Women's Day 2025, I interviewed 27 women and 27 men from various backgrounds, revealing the pivotal choices that have shaped career, finances and personal growth. Whether you quit your job in a company, make bold investments, or move to a new country, one theme has been revealed. Big changes often lead to great rewards.
This post highlights inspiring stories from women who took calculated risks, changed their lives and redefine success on their own terms.
Olga Blasco, Major M&A Partners, Growth and Exit Strategy Solutions, Lion People Global, Dublin:
Blasco worked in the corporate world for 20 years and towards the end she didn't like how things were going. “I am the SVP of a large American organization and I didn't have time to do anything else I wanted to do. The smartest thing I've ever done is to leave the world of big corporates and think about how I can change my life and find an Ikigai. The word Ikigai means I'm passionate about using my skills to support what the world needs and what I can maintain my livelihood.”
Ten years ago, Blasco launched a consulting business, moved to Türkiye, where he devoted a part of his life to non-profit work. Today, she is pivoting between Dublin, Istanbul and Barcelona. She balances her role as a major M&A partner at Lion People Global (Dublin) with her personal pursuits, including supporting female entrepreneurs as the co-founder of Jana (Istanbul). She is a board member of Clear Tech (Ireland), a female (US) woman and author of the book. Ek® Journey: Long-term Influence Recipes.
Jette Bilberg Lauritsen, Bygningsstyrelsen, Executive Director General of Copenhagen:
“I had an older cousin who I found very exciting. She was obsessed with astrology, reflexology and Buddhist teachings. In 1988, I went to a Buddhist lecture with her. This was a huge experience and turning point for me. I thought, “I don't know what I'm going to do for the rest of my life, but this will definitely be a part of it.” ”
Bilberg says the cleverest thing she's ever done was to start working with the mind using tools of ancient Buddhist methods. “This led me to volunteer in the Buddhist community in Copenhagen. Then I decided I wanted to work full-time in my volunteer work for a while. In order to live this dream, I had to revise my financial situation and so I had to free myself of my debt.”
There are no more taxis in Bilberg. “I've always been on my bike. I ordered far less food cooked for myself, but I didn't buy clothes for a long time. I paid off the mortgage for my apartment and started saving. I'm so happy that I finally made that dream come true.”
Barbara Ortiz, Electronics Engineer, MSA Safety Incorporated, Galway:
In 2018, Ortiz first left South America and worked as head of an interdisciplinary laboratory in the United States. “For about 12 months, I lived in an extreme, isolated environment where less than 10% of my staff were women.” She worked on a variety of science projects related to the study of the ozone layer, solar panels, ultraviolet rays, geodesics, glaciology, seismology, and cosmic rays.
There was no negative financial impact associated with another smart move Ortiz made to Antarctica. “In addition to paying me, they covered the costs of my clothes, food and accommodation. The experience was so great that I now want to pour my financial resources into the direction of looking at all the continents. I lived and worked in the Alps of Ireland and France. The next thing I do is work as an engineer in the Arctic.”
Katia Moskvitch, Director of Communications, IBM Research Europe, and authors of Neutron Star: A quest to understand the zombies of the universe,zürich:
“The cleverest thing I've ever done was writing my book the way I wanted to write it. This was very smart from a career development perspective, from a personal satisfaction perspective,” says Moskvitch. After earning a Masters in Journalism (University of West Ontario) and Mphil in Theoretical Physics (King's College London), she worked as a journalist in physics and astronomy. She was contacted by the editor of Harvard University Press on LinkedIn and suggested that she write a book.
“I wanted to live the experience perfectly. I spent a year traveling the world, but I also worked at Wired UK, a science, technology and business magazine published by Condé Nast, so I often had the opportunity to cover travel and accommodation. I always tried to combine the opportunities to visit places where I could interview scientists. Some people plan work and travel destinations to match beaches and Michelin starred restaurants. I have to be one of the few people to make everything about the radio observatory.”
Sarah Hempel, Head of Sustainability, axcel, Copenhagen:
“When I was in high school, my Danish cousin started to be with us, and I thought she was so cool. I wanted to be like her,” Hempel says. Her father's family was Danish and she had a Danish passport. “The smartest thing I've ever done was to move to Denmark myself at age 19 for my bachelor's degree. EU/EEA and permanent resident students I can study At university Denmark Tuition Fees-free: I was able to earn my university degree without debt. ”
Hempel has no regrets. “High-income earners pay around 56% in taxes and have capital gains tax. But look at what you get. There's free education, free health care, low crime rates, excellent public transport. For 20 years, I've ridden a bike everywhere. I've just recently bought a car. By not having to own a car for the whole time, I was able to invest more of my money. All these little things increase to make a significant difference.”
Yolanda Beatty, founder, Yo & Co Pty Ltd, Sydney:
“The smartest thing I've ever done is to start my own business. In 2018, I was struggling to perform in corporate jobs selling DEI consulting services. It was hard to generate enough revenue. After facing a series of obstacles, the growth strategy I was working on fell apart and at that moment I thought, “I'm off here.” ”
Starting her own consulting business gave her creative and commercial freedom to do the work she loves with the people she enjoys working with. “I'm still a work in progress, so I still don't know what the financial sense will be, but I hope that it won't get worse. I may not be doing well in terms of bank money yet, but the 'being human' project is my biggest reward and I'm rewarded every day with heartfelt things like love, creativity, joy, and wisdom development. ”
Shweta Roongta, Business Analyst, UTI International Limited, Singapore:
The smartest thing Roongta has done so far is to start investing at the age of 18. Her first investment was Bajaj Finance. “My dad had suggested that I put all my savings ($600) in that one stock. I wanted to explore myself and do my research, so I decided to put a third of that stock, a third of the DCB Bank and the last third at Andhra Bank. I made money on two of the three stocks. This early investment experience gave me a strong sense of financial security. I'm very comfortable taking risks.”
Roongta is 31 years old and has an endless thirst to learn everything. “I am a chartered accountant and a CFA charter holder. I work in finance and accounting and then moved to investment management. I work in India, Thailand and Switzerland and have worked in Singapore for the past eight years.”
Sandra Krueger, Sales Consultant, Active Training, LLC, Chicago:
Kruger's smartest career move was to get Chicago to work in Australia. “By starting out far from my friends and family, I gave me a global perspective. I learned how to communicate in a way that Australians like to communicate.”
Krueger has started selling, but there was no contact information. “My boss told me to try contacting the top 10 superannuation funds they couldn't do business with. One of the fund managers said to me on the first call, 'No', but I kept calling him. On the fourth call, he said, “Look, there's no point in continuing to call you. We've had a bad experience with your company.” “If you have bad experience with our company, I'd like to bring the CEO and apologize.” Two months later, we did a big deal with them. ”
Her greatest trait is her perseverance and, importantly, her ability to deal with uncertainty. “I've learned that my clients are 20% of the right time. I'm wasting my own time. But building relationships is not a waste and they may introduce me to other businesses. This happens around 80% of the time.”
Alice Tan, Chief Operating Officer of Asset Management Officer for Sydney, Massachusetts Financial Group:
The smartest thing Tang has done so far is to say yes in 2016 when he had the opportunity to work on his first technology project with Macquarie Group. For two years, I led the global implementation of Salesforce for 1,200 investment bankers in 30 different markets. I worked in many different cultures and industry lines, and that taught me so much. ”
Tang's compensation did not change in the two years he had on that project, but as he set it directly on his job at C-Suite, the financial impact of doing “smart things” was significant.
Important points
The smartest financial and career decisions often come from embracing change. Success isn't always about following the traditional path. It is about making intentional and courageous choices that align with your personal values and long-term goals. Key points are clear, such as switching careers, making bold financial moves, or investing in personal growth. The calculated risk leads to meaningful rewards. What is the cleverest decision you've ever made?
